Some me stuff to start us off. NYPL turned its handy dandy little 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2014 list into an interactive bit of gorgeousness. So as to help it along, I wrote a blog post on the library’s website (I have two blogs, if you want to get technical about it, but […]

Oh, thank the high heavens. Good news, folks. The celebrities have arrived to show us how to write books with darker themes. Thank goodness they’re here! Until now the field of children’s literature was just an unending vista of sunshine and daisies. But thanks to the combined efforts of Evangeline Lilly (“I look around me […]

Everyone loves a good list but finding lists that reflect the intelligence of experts in a given field can sometimes be tricky. Consider, if you will, books about American Indians for the kiddos. I can’t tell you how many summer reading lists I see every year that have The Indian in the Cupboard, The Matchlock […]

Happiness is a new list. For 102 years, NYPL has consistently been producing the same list highlighting some of the best books for kids in a given year. Now we’re pleased to announce our 2013 list and all the myriad titles it holds. Admit it. This is one of the most gorgeous covers on a […]

Happy Tuesday to you, one and all! Hope your weather isn’t as bitingly cold as ours has been. Time to warm up with some fresh and festive children’s literature tidbits. Personally, I’m trying to figure out why I wrote today’s headline a couple days ago. I’m sure there was a reason for it. Hmmm. The […]

Oh, so very much has gone on this week! Where to begin? What to do? Well, for starters, NYPL released a handy dandy list to accompany their current exhibit The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter. I helped make said list, which is officially called 100 Great Children’s Books, 100 Years. So, two things. […]

Required Reading of the Day: Roger Sutton already told you to read it, and now I’m backing him up. If you have not cast thine eyes upon Christopher Myers’s piece Young Dreamers in which he talks about the Trayvon Martin decision as well as Christopher’s own role in the world of children’s literature and the […]

Whoa. Did you see that? Look up. Yeah, that’s my name. In an ad banner. Do you know that this is the very first time I’ve ever appeared in one of my ad banners? They usually just flit about hither and yon, sometimes for books I like, sometimes for books I loathe. There was a […]

Daylight Saving (not “Savings” I just learned) has arrived and you know what that means? It means babies have a terrible sense of telling time. Just awful. And that, in turn, means I’d better crank out a lickety-split Fusenews before I hear the telltale sound of little eyelids opening. First up, The New York Times […]

With the publication of Selnick’s Wonderstruck this first link seems appropriate*. Would-be children’s book illustrators take note. If you’ve never done a book for kids and you want to get noticed, why not take your favorite David Bowie song and make it child-appropriate? To the best of my knowledge Andrew Kolb has never done a […]

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About A Fuse #8 Production

Features everything from librarian previews of upcoming children's books to news, reviews, and videos. If it has something to do with children's literature, it will rate a mention here.

Betsy Bird is the Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She's reviewed for The New York Times and Kirkus, writes articles for Horn Book and SLJ, and wrote the picture book Giant Dance Party. You can contact her at Fusenumber8@gmail.com or follow her on . . .